Forces On Standby As Race Fleet Heads South

The Age

Monday January 2, 2006

JUSTIN NORRIE and NANCY RAMSEY with NEW YORK TIMES

AUSTRALIAN navy, air force and maritime safety resources will be on standby when the fleet of the Volvo Ocean Race navigates the notoriously dangerous Southern Ocean on its run to Melbourne.

Navy personnel have been briefed on the details of the Cape Town-to-Melbourne leg of the round-world race, and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said it would be watching closely for emergency beacons.

Seven teams are due to set out on the 11,300-kilometre leg today. They will make their way across the Indian Ocean, through the Southern Ocean where waves can crest at 13 metres, winds gust up to 115 km/h and icebergs the size of trucks do not always appear on the radar.

As the organisers of the event put it pragmatically: "Once in the Southern Ocean the boats will be playing a delicate game between pushing as fast as they can and keeping the boat and sails in one piece."

The Maritime Safety Authority, which has co-ordinated some of the biggest rescue missions in boat-racing history, said its Dornier-328 search plane, fitted with military-grade radar systems, was ready for action. "We can quickly call in volunteer marine vessels, state marine authorities, Coast Watch, state and territory police, and defence forces to help us," said public relations manager Tracey Jiggins.

Glenn Bourke, chief executive of the race, said: "Search-and-rescue operations of the Australian and Argentinian navies are aware of what we're doing, and ready and willing to jump in. We hope it's not required."

The authority's co-ordination centre helps orchestrate up to 400 rescues a year - the most memorable and expensive the last-minute rescue of British sailor Tony Bullimore in 1997.

The first leg of Volvo Ocean Race was won by Mike Sanderson, a New Zealander at the helm of ABN AMRO One, which arrived in Cape Town on December 1. -- With NEW YORK TIMES

© 2006 The Age

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